Top 5 Items To Make Your Bathroom Sustainable

The bathroom can be one of the trickiest spots in the house when it comes to making it zero, low waste or just sustainable. Most items that you find when you go down the bathroom aisle at the grocery store are all made of plastic, especially harder to recycle plastics like #4-6. The same can also be said about the beauty and hair, dental care and soap aisles. Replacing items in your bathroom may seem like an expensive and tedious task but it doesn't have to be done all at once. I started my sustainable journey a few years back with my first eco-swap purchase of a bamboo toothbrush. At the time, I doesn't seem like much. I personally felt like I could have been doing more. But if you take it one step, one small eco swap as you're comfortable, those steps and swaps accumulate to major changes over time.

If you're wanting to make these small changes in your bathroom, here are my top 5 eco-swap items to change to.

1. Bamboo Toothbrush

This was my first eco-swap BUT I made the mistake of purchasing my first set from Amazon. It looked great when it arrived but as I went to pull the toothbrush out of its package, the brush itself was wrapped in plastic... Make sure when you purchase your first brush that it's eco-friendly in its entirety. I recently purchased this brand, Brush with Bamboo from Package Free Shop, where it comes in 100% recyclable/compostable packaging. I've also heard rumors that Colgate is creating a bamboo toothbrush but I am not sure if there are some secret plastic hiding in its packaging OR if the brush itself is made with sustainable materials.

2. Bar Soap

This is a newer switch for me as I started to run out of my regular plastic container shower gel, shaving cream and face wash. I actually have two different Dr. Bronner bars in my shower for multiple purposes. The first bar is a Dr. Bronner's baby unscented hemp bar for washing our face. This bar is fragrance-free and is great for sensitive skin (and babies!) The second bar is a Dr. Bronner's citrus hemp bar for shaving and body wash. It has a great light citrus scent and foams up very easily, perfect for shaving. Dr. Bronner's is a really great option that you can easily find at your local market that includes fair trade and organic ingredients, 100% biodegradable in a 100% post-consumer recycled wrapper.

3. Natural Deodorant

This is a switch that I literally made yesterday... no joke. I'll be writing a review on this specific brand this week - so be on the lookout for that! Finding a deodorant that works for you is no joke. I've gone through several natural brands, some containing plastic, some made with recycled materials but it just didn't work for me. Know that natural deodorant is NOT like your Secret or Old Spice. It's not an antiperspirant. You will still sweat. So, do you research on brands and know it will likely be a trial and error swap.

4. Safety Razor

Yes, this thing looks terrifying and it doesn't have one of those shea butter strips to keep your legs protected but if you want the closest shave, this is the perfect item for you. My razor is the Albatross Safety Razor sold at Package Free Shop. It comes with 10 razor blade replacements and a little envelope where you can send back used razors to Albatross to recycle. Safety razors can definitely be pricey at first, but think about how much you'll be spending on razor blades vs. how much you would spend on plastic replacement heads...

5. Shampoo/Conditioner Bars

I feel like I've suggested these easy eco-swaps to the entire world but here I go again. Shampoo and conditioner bars are one of the easiest ways to get plastic out of your bath or shower. I've had both of these bars for well over three months at this point and still have several months worth left. I purchased these from a local Atlanta natural shop called Fig and Flower but the brand itself is actually from Canada, called Upfront Cosmetics. I could not recommend these specific bars enough. I have long wavy/curly hair so I purchased the tea tree shampoo bar with a rosemary mint conditioner bar but they have so many other types that are for every hair type and style.

If you've maybe made all of these switches and are looking for more, here are just a few brief items you could easily swap out. I personally haven't made every single one of these changes but am hoping to soon!

• Body Scrubber - From a plastic loofah to a natural loofah or wooden brush scrubber

• Face Moisturizer - From a plastic bottle to Yay for Earth Face Lotion

• Hair Brush - From a plastic or synthetic hairbrush to a bamboo brush (Can also be found on Yay for Earth)

• Toothpaste - From a plastic tube to a coconut oil based paste, Bite toothbrush tablets or Huppy toothbrush tablets

• Sunscreen - From a plastic, non-reef safe formula to an aluminum bottle (Meow Meow Tweet has a great alternative when it's in stock)

Photo by Phil Hearing on Unsplash